THE NATION | IN BRIEF / OREGON

Fire at Lewis and Clark Site Ruled an Accident

The fire that destroyed a replica of Ft. Clatsop at the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park this month was started accidentally by a fire burning on a hearth in one of the barracks, the park's superintendent said.

The 50-year-old replica near Warrenton on the north Oregon coast was the centerpiece of the park.

It commemorated the western terminus of the Voyage of Discovery led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark from 1804 to 1806. The fort resembled the one they built for the winter of 1805 to 1806.

Supt. Chip Jenkins said small hearth fires burned at the fort to give visitors a better feeling for what the explorers experienced.